When playing a sports game that is played using a display device, such as a CRT or others, it is general that backgrounds and players used in making the sports game are displayed on the screen. A game player operates movements of the players displayed on the screen by outside input means, such as a control pad or others, to advance the sports game.
In a sports game in which the match is, in most cases, played by singles, it is not preferable that a game player changes a specific player he is operating to the other at least from the start of the game to the end thereof. Such sports games include games imitating tennis singles, judo matches, etc. That is, in a sports game in which the match is, in most cases, played by singles, the sports game can be enjoyed only by operating a selected player.
In a sports game in which the match is played by teams, a plurality of team players imitating sport athletes are displayed on the screen, and a game player must select the specific player the game player wants to operate. Such sports games include games imitating matches of soccer, basketballs, etc.
There are two methods by which a player is selected. In one of the two methods, a game player selects the specific player he will operate as an operational player in a game match before the start of the game, and the game player is not allowed to change the player he is operating during the game. In the other method, a game player is allowed to change an operational player of a game match during the game according to a choice made by the game player.
The method which allows a game player to suitably change a player is applicable to, e.g., soccer games. In a soccer game, a game player likes to operate a specific player in a front position in an offensive situation, while on the other hand, the game player likes to operate a player in a rear position in a defensive situation.
To enable players in a game match to be suitably selected during the game, input operations for selecting operational players are necessary in addition to inputting moving directions and movements of the operational players during the game. This makes the input operations complicated.
To prevent such complicated input operations, in some cases, players at prescribed positions are automatically selected as operational players of a game player. For example, in a game in which coordinates of a position of a ball are a key factor for progress of the game, a player who is nearest to the ball is selected.
The above-described methods, however, by which an operational player is selected, cannot sufficiently satisfy the requirements of game players. That is, in the method by which an operational player is automatically selected, the method of selecting the operational player is unique, and it is possible that the prescribed players may not be those that a game player actually likes to select. The method by which operational players in a game match are suitably selected makes the operation of selecting an operational player in advance of the game too complicated.
As a result, in either of the methods, the game player sometimes can not recognize his own operational players during the game, irrespective of his skill, which actually spoils the amusement of the game.
The method, in which an operational player is not changed during a game match, takes much time to arrive at a new position, when a specific position such as a key factor in a game is greatly changed. That is, in a soccer game, for example, when a long pass is made, even a skilled game player needs time to move to the pass position. As a result, a time when the game player secures a key position to play the game is extremely decreased, which also spoils the amusement of the game.
Thus, it is preferable that operation of selecting specific players in a game match during advance of the game is made without complicating the operation.
Factors for complicating the operation are as follows.
In a soccer game, for example, when a player receives a ball, a game player selects, out of a plurality of players on a game screen, a specific player as an operational player who will receive the ball. The selected player is marked by, e.g., a dotted-line enclosure or other means to be discriminated from the rest of the players. After the selection, the game player operates information input means, such as a control pad or others, to move the operational player to the ball.
The method by which an operational player is selected by a game player has a disadvantage that when a specific player is selected as an operational player by selected-direction information, simultaneously therewith the selected-direction information becomes moving direction information, whereby the operational player is adversely moved in an unintended direction.
That is, as shown in FIG. 14, when an operational player P1 is changed to another operational player by selecting a specific player P2 so as to compete with an opponent player E to get a ball B, selected-direction information of the direction A (see the dotted-line arrow) from the operational player P1 to the operational player P2 is inputted. When the selected-direction information of the direction A is inputted, the operational player P1 is changed to the operational player P2, and the latter P2 is enclosed by the dotted-line. By this time, the game player has inputted the direction information of the direction A, and at the same time that the change is over, the direction information of the direction A becomes moving direction information of the operational player P2. The operational player P2 is moved to the direction A (see the solid line arrow). Thus, although the game player has changed the operational player to get the ball B, the new operational player is moved apart from the ball B.
Conventionally when an object-to-be-moved, such as an operational player or others, displayed on a screen is moved, an information input unit is operated to command a moving direction.
The information input unit is provided by, e.g., a cross key disposed on a control pad of a game machine. The cross key is operated so that when an operational player on a game display of, e.g., a soccer game is moved to get a ball, the operational player can be moved toward the ball.
Generally a cross key is formed in a cross combining a vertical bar and a horizontal bar which are crossed each other at a right angle, and the respective ends are pressed to command moving directions. That is, the upper and the lower ends of the cross key, and the left and the right ends thereof are singly pressed to command the four upper, lower, left and right directions. Furthermore, the upper end and the left end of the cross key, the left end and the lower end thereof, the lower end and the right end thereof, and the right end and the upper end thereof are respectively operated simultaneously to command four obliquely upper left, obliquely lower left, obliquely lower right and obliquely lower right directions. In total, eight directions can be commanded.
When the cross key is operated to command a moving direction so that an operational player is moved to get a ball, a game player operates the cross key so that the operational player P depicts one of the traces x, y, z as exemplified in FIG. 15.
In the case of the trace x, first, the upper end of the cross key is pressed and the players is moved to a position substantially beside a ball B as a target, and then, the right end of the cross key is pressed and the player is moved to the right. In the case of the trace y, first, the upper end of the cross key is pressed and the player is moved in a straight line to an oblique position lower left of the ball B, and then, the right end and the upper end of the cross key are simultaneously pressed and the player is moved in an obliquely upper right direction. In the case of the trace z, first, the right end and the upper end of the cross key are pressed and the player is moved in an obliquely upper right direction, and then, the upper end of the cross key is pressed and the player is moved upward.
Thus whether or not an operational player P can arrive at a ball as intended by a game player depends on his intuition and skill. To arrive at the ball B, however, as exemplified in FIG. 15, an operation for changing a direction at least once is needed. This is not easy for even skilled game players.
The operation of the cross key can command only 8 directions, and unless a game player has sufficient skill, it is very difficult to move operational players P as intended. When an unskilled game player operates, as exemplified in FIG. 16, an operational player P goes around a target ball B without arriving at the ball B. Especially when the ball B is moving, the cross key must be operated many times. A game player needs skill.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing method and an image processing device which allow a game player to arbitrarily select one from a plurality of objects-to-be-moved, and prohibits movement of the selected object-to-be-moved in an unintended direction.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing method and an image processing device which can move objects-to-be-moved by easy operation as intended when an input direction is commanded by an information input unit .